The practice of smoking shisha has its roots in ancient India. It was previously thought to have therapeutic powers and was used in religious rituals. The Middle East as a whole and subsequently the rest of the world were affected by it after that. During the Ottoman Empire, shisha smoking became more and more well-liked as a social activity frequently enjoyed in coffee shops.
After afterwards, shisha smoking spread to the rest of the Arab world and North Africa, where it is still a common hobby today. Traditionally, molasses, honey, and fruit tastes were combined with tobacco leaves to create shisha tobacco. To improve the smoking experience, there has been a trend in recent years to use various tobacco blends and tastes.
The traditional shisha tobacco is referred to as “tumbak” or “jurak.” It is a sort of black, air-cured tobacco that is grown exclusively for hookahs and comes from the Middle East. To improve the flavor of tumbak tobacco, molasses, honey, and various fruit tastes are frequently added. Hookah fans like the rich, sweet smoke that is produced by this mixture of ingredients.
But regular smokers of tumbak tobacco run the risk of developing health problems due to the high levels of tar and other dangerous compounds it contains. To lessen its detrimental impact on public health, numerous nations have imposed limitations on the sale and use of shisha tobacco.
To satisfy the many tastes and preferences of shisha fans, modern varieties of shisha tobacco have emerged. The fruit-flavored shisha tobacco, which is available in a variety of flavors like apple, strawberry, peach, and watermelon, is one well-liked variant. Another well-liked variant is herbal shisha tobacco, which employs a mixture of herbs and molasses as flavoring instead of nicotine or tobacco and neither tobacco nor nicotine.
Those who are concerned about their health and prefer a less damaging alternatives to traditional shisha are increasingly choosing this option. Then there are premium mixes, which combine distinct flavors like mint chocolate or vanilla latte with tobacco leaves of a better caliber. These contemporary versions have helped shisha smoking gain ground as a global pastime.
Smoking shisha raises a variety of health issues. Studies have revealed that a single session of shisha smoking can expose the smoker to higher quantities of carbon monoxide and other dangerous compounds, contrary to the common notion that smoking shisha is less harmful than smoking cigarettes. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, the water in the hookah does not filter out these dangerous compounds. High quantities of nicotine are also present in shisha smoke, which can cause addiction and raise the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Sharing a hookah mouthpiece with someone else increases the chance of contracting infectious diseases like hepatitis C or tuberculosis. Overall, using shisha presents serious health concerns and ought to be avoided or limited.
